928 research outputs found
A generalized quantum microcanonical ensemble
We discuss a generalized quantum microcanonical ensemble. It describes
isolated systems that are not necessarily in an eigenstate of the Hamilton
operator. Statistical averages are obtained by a combination of a time average
and a maximum entropy argument to resolve the lack of knowledge about initial
conditions. As a result, statistical averages of linear observables coincide
with values obtained in the canonical ensemble. Non-canonical averages can be
obtained by taking into account conserved quantities which are non-linear
functions of the microstate.Comment: improved version, new titl
The Nature of Composite LINER/HII Galaxies, As Revealed from High-Resolution VLA Observations
A sample of 37 nearby galaxies displaying composite LINER/HII and pure HII
spectra was observed with the VLA in an investigation of the nature of their
weak radio emission. The resulting radio contour maps overlaid on optical
galaxy images are presented here, together with an extensive literature list
and discussion of the individual galaxies. Radio morphological data permit
assessment of the ``classical AGN'' contribution to the global activity
observed in these ``transition'' LINER galaxies. One in five of the latter
objects display clear AGN characteristics: these occur exclusively in
bulge-dominated hosts.Comment: 31 pages, 27 figures, accepted by ApJ
Clustering of supernova Ia host galaxies
For the first time the cross-correlation between type Ia supernova host
galaxies and surrounding field galaxies is measured using the Supernova Legacy
Survey sample. Over the z=0.2 to 0.9 redshift range we find that supernova
hosts are correlated an average of 60% more strongly than similarly selected
field galaxies over the 3-100 arcsec range and about a factor of 3 more
strongly below 10 arcsec. The correlation errors are empirically established
with a jackknife analysis of the four SNLS fields. The hosts are more
correlated than the field at a significance of 99% in the fitted amplitude and
slope, with the point-by-point difference of the two correlation functions
having a reduced for 8 degrees of freedom of 4.3, which has a
probability of random occurrence of less than 3x10^{-5}. The correlation angle
is 1.5+/-0.5 arcsec, which deprojects to a fixed co-moving correlation length
of approximately 6.5+/- 2/h mpc. Weighting the field galaxies with the mass and
star formation rate supernova frequencies of the simple A+B model produces good
agreement with the observed clustering. We conclude that these supernova
clustering differences are primarily the expected outcome of the dependence of
supernova rates on galaxy masses and stellar populations with their clustering
environment.Comment: ApJ (Letts) accepte
On the Progenitor and Supernova of the SN 2002cx-like Supernova 2008ge
We present observations of supernova (SN) 2008ge, which is spectroscopically
similar to the peculiar SN 2002cx, and its pre-explosion site that indicate
that its progenitor was probably a white dwarf. NGC 1527, the host galaxy of SN
2008ge, is an S0 galaxy with no evidence of star formation or massive stars.
Astrometrically matching late-time imaging of SN 2008ge to pre-explosion HST
imaging, we constrain the luminosity of the progenitor star. Since SN 2008ge
has no indication of hydrogen or helium in its spectrum, its progenitor must
have lost its outer layers before exploding, requiring that it be a white
dwarf, a Wolf-Rayet star, or a lower-mass star in a binary system. Observations
of the host galaxy show no signs of individual massive stars, star clusters, or
H II regions at the SN position or anywhere else, making a Wolf-Rayet
progenitor unlikely. Late-time spectroscopy of SN 2008ge show strong [Fe II]
lines with large velocity widths compared to other members of this class at
similar epochs. These previously unseen features indicate that a significant
amount of the SN ejecta is Fe (presumably the result of radioactive decay of
56Ni generated in the SN), further supporting a thermonuclear explosion.
Placing the observations of SN 2008ge in the context of observations of other
objects in the class of SN, we suggest that the progenitor was most likely a
white dwarf.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures, accepted by A
The Hubble Legacy Archive ACS Grism Data
A public release of slitless spectra, obtained with ACS/WFC and the G800L
grism, is presented. Spectra were automatically extracted in a uniform way from
153 archival fields (or "associations") distributed across the two Galactic
caps, covering all observations to 2008. The ACS G800L grism provides a
wavelength range of 0.55-1.00 \mu40 \ \AA / pixel\sim 80\ \AA32,149i_{\rm
AB}0.2-4.6$.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics; 29 pages, 16
Figures, 4 Tables in text and 3Tables in Appendi
Cosmic-ray strangelets in the Earth's atmosphere
If strange quark matter is stable in small lumps, we expect to find such
lumps, called ``strangelets'', on Earth due to a steady flux in cosmic rays.
Following recent astrophysical models, we predict the strangelet flux at the
top of the atmosphere, and trace the strangelets' behavior in atmospheric
chemistry and circulation. We show that several strangelet species may have
large abundances in the atmosphere; that they should respond favorably to
laboratory-scale preconcentration techniques; and that they present promising
targets for mass spectroscopy experiments.Comment: 28 pages, 4 figures, revtex
The Fading Optical Counterpart of GRB~970228, Six Months and One Year Later
We report on observations of the fading optical counterpart of the gamma-ray
burst GRB 970228, made with the Hubble Space Telescope STIS CCD approximately
six months after outburst and with the HST/NICMOS and Keck/NIRC approximately
one year after outburst. The unresolved counterpart is detected by STIS at
V=28.0 +/- 0.25, consistent with a continued power-law decline with exponent
-1.14 +/- 0.05. The counterpart is located within, but near the edge of, a
faint extended source with diameter ~0."8 and integrated magnitude V=25.8 +/-
0.25. A reanalysis of HST and NTT observations performed shortly after the
burst shows no evidence of proper motion of the point source or fading of the
extended emission. Only the extended source is visible in the NICMOS images
with a magnitude of H=23.3 +/- 0.1. The Keck observations find K = 22.8 +/-
0.3. Several distinct and independent means of deriving the foreground
extinction in the direction of GRB 970228 all agree with A_V = 0.75 +/- 0.2.
After adjusting for Galactic extinction, we find that the size of the observed
extended emission is consistent with that of galaxies of comparable magnitude
found in the Hubble Deep Field (HDF) and other deep HST images. Only 2% of the
sky is covered by galaxies of similar or greater surface brightness; therefore
the extended source is almost certainly the host galaxy. Additionally, we find
that the extinction-corrected V - H and V - K colors of the host are as blue as
any galaxy of comparable or brighter magnitude in the HDF. Taken in concert
with recent observations of GRB 970508, GRB 971214, and GRB 980703 our work
suggests that all four GRBs with spectroscopic identification or deep
multicolor broad-band imaging of the host lie in rapidly star-forming galaxies.Comment: 24 pages, Latex, 4 PostScript figures, to appear in the May 10 issue
of The Astrophysical Journal (Note: displayed abstract is abridged
The VMC Survey - VI. Quasars behind the Magellanic system
The number and spatial distribution of confirmed quasi-stellar objects (QSOs)
behind the Magellanic system is limited. This undermines their use as
astrometric reference objects for different types of studies. We have searched
for criteria to identify candidate QSOs using observations from the VISTA
survey of the Magellanic Clouds system (VMC) that provides photometry in the
YJKs bands and 12 epochs in the Ks band. The (Y-J) versus (J-Ks) diagram has
been used to distinguish QSO candidates from Milky Way stars and stars of the
Magellanic Clouds. Then, the slope of variation in the Ks band has been used to
identify a sample of high confidence candidates. These criteria were developed
based on the properties of 117 known QSOs presently observed by the VMC survey.
VMC YJKs magnitudes and Ks light-curves of known QSOs behind the Magellanic
system are presented. About 75% of them show a slope of variation in Ks>10^-4
mag/day and the shape of the light-curve is in general irregular and without
any clear periodicity. The number of QSO candidates found in tiles including
the South Ecliptic Pole and the 30 Doradus regions is 22 and 26, respectively,
with a ~20% contamination by young stellar objects, planetary nebulae, stars
and normal galaxies. By extrapolating the number of QSO candidates to the
entire VMC survey area we expect to find about 1200 QSOs behind the LMC, 400
behind the SMC, 200 behind the Bridge and 30 behind the Stream areas, but not
all will be suitable for astrometry. Further, the Ks band light-curves can help
support investigations of the mechanism responsible for the variations.Comment: 17 pages, 15 figures, replaced with accepted version by Astronomy &
Astrophysic
A study of the remarkable galaxy system AM 546-324 (the core of Abell S0546)
We report first results of an investigation of the tidally disturbed galaxy
system AM\,546-324, whose two principal galaxies 2MFGC 04711 and AM\,0546-324
(NED02) were previously classified as interacting doubles. This system was
selected to study the interaction of ellipticals in a moderately dense
environment. We provide spectral characteristics of the system and present an
observational study of the interaction effects on the morphology, kinematics,
and stellar population of these galaxies. The study is based on long-slit
spectrophotometric data in the range of 4500-8000 obtained with
the Gemini Multi-Object Spetrograph at Gemini South (GMOS-S). We have used the
stellar population synthesis code STARLIGHT to investigate the star formation
history of these galaxies. The Gemini/GMOS-S direct r-G0303 broad band pointing
image was used to enhance and study fine morphological structures. The main
absorption lines in the spectra were used to determine the radial velocity.
Along the whole long-slit signal, the spectra of the Shadowy galaxy (discovered
by us), 2MFGC 04711, and AM\,0546-324 (NED02) resemble that of an early-type
galaxy. We estimated redshifts of z= 0.0696, z= 0.0693 and z= 0.0718,
corresponding to heliocentric velocities of 20\,141 km s, 20\,057 km
s, and 20\,754 km s for the Shadowy galaxy, 2MFGC 04711 and
AM\,0546-324 (NED02), respectively. ..
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